International Master Russell Dive (39) of Wellington showed he is in good form by winning the Wellington Easter Open with an unbeaten 5½/6, a full point ahead of a strong field.
The timing couldn't be better, with Dive a key member of the New Zealand Men's team at the 37th Chess Olympiad in Turin, Italy which began on 20 May. A three-time former New Zealand Champion, Russell will be aiming to reprise his excellent peformance of 7/11 on board three at the last Olympiad at Calvia, Spain in 2004. The other team members are men: IM Anthony Ker, IM Paul Garbett, FM Roger Nokes, Puchen Wang and Michael Steadman; women: Viv Smith, Sue Maroroa, Eachen Chen and Natasha Fairley.
Today's game is from the 5th round at Wellington, and features Dive with the White pieces simply taking over the board against fellow Olympian, FM Roger Nokes of Canterbury.
1.c4 f5 2.d4 Nf6 3.g3 e6 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.O-O d6 7.b3
A less forceful alternative to 7 Nc3 against the Classical Dutch Defence. White temporarily relinquishes control of e4, aiming to restrain Black's thematic e5 break before expanding in the centre himself. 7. --- a5 8.Bb2 Ne4 9.Nbd2 Nxd2 10.Qxd2 Nd7 11.a3 Nf6 12.e3 Qe8 13.Ne1!
Development completed,White maneouvres this knight to d3, from where it threatens Nf4 and eyes the e5 and b4 squares. At the same time the bishop and f-pawn are unmasked to regain control of e4. 13. --- Bd7 14.Nd3 Bc6 15.f3 Qf7 16.e4! Bd8
Black's plan to control e4 has not worked, since 16 ... fxe4? fails due to the pin along the f-file. His position is cramped so he adopts a waiting policy, planning to meet further White expansion with a timely counterthrust that may show White to have overextended. 17.Rad1 Ne8 18.b4 Ba4 19.Rde1 b5?
Black's last two moves have merely served to push White's rook to a better square and take the bishop out of play. Now White opens up the centre to punish its absence from the long diagonal. 20.exf5! Qxf5 21.f4 Rb8 22.bxa5 bxc4 23.a6! Qxd3?
Black sees that White's combination to promote his a6 pawn will cost him a rook, but that grabbing this piece and the threat of his d-pawn promotion will get it back. However, the resulting ending is a relatively straightforward win for an IM of Dive's strength. Instead 23 ... c6 blocking the long diagonal and preserving queens was a better try. 24.Qxd3 cxd3 25.a7 Rc8 26.Bb7 d2 27.Rd1
Also possible was regaining the queen for knight and rook with the tricky 27 Re2!? d1=Q 28 Rxd1 Bxd1 29 Bxc8 Bxe2 30 Bxe6+ Kh8 31 a8=Q followed by pushing the a-pawn. 27. --- Bxd1 28.Rxd1 c6 29.Bxc8 Nc7 30.Bxe6+!
That this pawn could could not be preserved seals Black's fate. The extra pawns plus two bishops win easily. 30. --- Kh8 31.Bd7 Na8 32.Bxc6 Bb6 33.Rxd2 Bxa7 34.Kg2 Nb6 35.Rc2 Rc8 36.Kf3 d5 37.Ke2 h6 38.Kd3 Rc7 39.a4 Re7 40.Ba3 Re1 41.Bc5 Nc4
Last try – threatening 42... Re3 mate! 42.Bxd5 Bxc5 43.Kxc4 Bd6 44.a5 Ra1 45.Kb5 Resigns
The a-pawn will cost Black a piece.
Dive on form for Olympiad
Problem: Black to play and mate in 3.
International Master Russell Dive (39) of Wellington showed he is in good form by winning the Wellington Easter Open with an unbeaten 5½/6, a full point ahead of a strong field.
The timing couldn't be better, with Dive a key member of the New Zealand Men's team at the 37th Chess Olympiad in Turin, Italy which began on 20 May. A three-time former New Zealand Champion, Russell will be aiming to reprise his excellent peformance of 7/11 on board three at the last Olympiad at Calvia, Spain in 2004. The other team members are men: IM Anthony Ker, IM Paul Garbett, FM Roger Nokes, Puchen Wang and Michael Steadman; women: Viv Smith, Sue Maroroa, Eachen Chen and Natasha Fairley.
Today's game is from the 5th round at Wellington, and features Dive with the White pieces simply taking over the board against fellow Olympian, FM Roger Nokes of Canterbury.
1.c4 f5
2.d4 Nf6
3.g3 e6
4.Bg2 Be7
5.Nf3 O-O
6.O-O d6
7.b3
A less forceful alternative to 7 Nc3 against the Classical Dutch Defence. White temporarily relinquishes control of e4, aiming to restrain Black's thematic e5 break before expanding in the centre himself.
7. --- a5
8.Bb2 Ne4
9.Nbd2 Nxd2
10.Qxd2 Nd7
11.a3 Nf6
12.e3 Qe8
13.Ne1!
Development completed,White maneouvres this knight to d3, from where it threatens Nf4 and eyes the e5 and b4 squares. At the same time the bishop and f-pawn are unmasked to regain control of e4.
13. --- Bd7
14.Nd3 Bc6
15.f3 Qf7
16.e4! Bd8
Black's plan to control e4 has not worked, since 16 ... fxe4? fails due to the pin along the f-file. His position is cramped so he adopts a waiting policy, planning to meet further White expansion with a timely counterthrust that may show White to have overextended.
17.Rad1 Ne8
18.b4 Ba4
19.Rde1 b5?
Black's last two moves have merely served to push White's rook to a better square and take the bishop out of play. Now White opens up the centre to punish its absence from the long diagonal.
20.exf5! Qxf5
21.f4 Rb8
22.bxa5 bxc4
23.a6! Qxd3?
Black sees that White's combination to promote his a6 pawn will cost him a rook, but that grabbing this piece and the threat of his d-pawn promotion will get it back. However, the resulting ending is a relatively straightforward win for an IM of Dive's strength. Instead 23 ... c6 blocking the long diagonal and preserving queens was a better try.
24.Qxd3 cxd3
25.a7 Rc8
26.Bb7 d2
27.Rd1
Also possible was regaining the queen for knight and rook with the tricky 27 Re2!? d1=Q 28 Rxd1 Bxd1 29 Bxc8 Bxe2 30 Bxe6+ Kh8 31 a8=Q followed by pushing the a-pawn.
27. --- Bxd1
28.Rxd1 c6
29.Bxc8 Nc7
30.Bxe6+!
That this pawn could could not be preserved seals Black's fate. The extra pawns plus two bishops win easily.
30. --- Kh8
31.Bd7 Na8
32.Bxc6 Bb6
33.Rxd2 Bxa7
34.Kg2 Nb6
35.Rc2 Rc8
36.Kf3 d5
37.Ke2 h6
38.Kd3 Rc7
39.a4 Re7
40.Ba3 Re1
41.Bc5 Nc4
Last try – threatening 42... Re3 mate!
42.Bxd5 Bxc5
43.Kxc4 Bd6
44.a5 Ra1
45.Kb5 Resigns
The a-pawn will cost Black a piece.
1-0
Solution: 1 ... Rxh2+! 2 Kxh2 Qg3+ 3 Kh1 Qh3#.